Torres was due to return to work on Wednesday following three weeks off after scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final for Spain. However, According to TEAMtalk, City have been monitoring Fernandez’s situation closely, and those familiar with the situation believe a £100m deal could be possible.
According to Argentina insider Gaston Edul, Manchester City’s interest in Enzo Fernandez is “100% concrete” rather than exploratory. The driving force behind the potential move is Maresca, who previously managed the Argentine midfielder at Chelsea and wants to integrate him into Manchester City’s system. Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Chelsea's desired £120 million transfer fee is the main hurdle to any deal, given they are keen to keep him.
Barcelona have made an improved bid to Manchester City of around €60m (£51m) for Rodri. This follows Barça’s initial offer of €45m that was rejected out of hand by City. As the midfielder has declared a preference for Barcelona it seems it is inevitable he will leave.
Chelsea are understood to be intent on that price for the attacking midfielder so any transfer may include add-ons. However, according to talkSPORT and transfer expert Ben Jacobs, that valuation could be negotiable as Chelsea are prepared to sell, though timing will prove critical with less than a month remaining in the transfer window and the Premier League season launching in two weeks.
Following his departure, Fernandez published a heartfelt message on social media dedicated to his former manager. “Mister, thank you for everything we shared and experienced during this stage. I learned a lot and truly value every piece of advice and each experience… We won two titles together that I will never forget. Much success to all of you, and hopefully our paths will cross again in the future.”
If City were to sign Fernández, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, another midfielder could be offloaded, with Tijjani Reijnders a possible candidate to depart. City have so far recruited Elliott Anderson for £116m from Nottingham Forest and are close to the signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi for around £85m from Lille. Chelsea are thought to have enquired about Bournemouth’s Alex Scott as a replacement for Fernández should he leave.